Eb the Celeb in the studio with Busta Rhymes

Last night I had the pleasure of chilling with Busta Rhymes in the studio and he let me hear a couple tracks that might show up on his 8th solo studio album "Blessed" due out in September.

First off, I have not been this excited about a Hip Hop album in a long time. After hearing over a dozen tracks, Busta is going to kill the game when the album drops. Which leads me to the first track he played me, Hits 4 days. J-Holiday is on the hook and the beat knocks. I can definitely hear this one in the club.

He worked with Pharrell on this album and quite frankly I am one of those people that had started getting a little tired of his sound. For a while there almost every one of his beats sounded just like the last one. But the 2 tracks he gave Busta, sound like nothing I have ever heard from him before. Just when I was getting tired of him, he made me love him all over again. One track G-Stroll is going to have every chick in the club on the dance floor. The hook is hella catchy and if they choreograph a cute little dance to this song, it will really blow up. Busta said the flow was inspired by Big Daddy Kane and Chubb Rock but G-Stroll came from this foreign lady in Miami because that's how she pronounced G-string...lol. The second track Pharrell produced is called Kill Dem featuring a new artist named Tosh. Busta brings out the rudeboy in him and its definitely a club banger as well.

You know Busta had to touch on his West Indian roots on more than one track. He has this joint with Beenie Man that he was holding out on playing for me, but finally did at the end of the session. For all those supporting the bubblegum reggae that's out right now, this track is going to hit you hard. Beenie really shows why he is the King of the Dancehall. This one had everyone in the studio up dancing. Another joint, that has sort of a calypso/soca feel is Let me Show You. It's a real smooth groove that makes you want to light some candles (since I don't smoke) and just vibe.

Busta is truly a storyteller and fully explained the story behind the concept of every record before playing it. If MTV does not book him for an unplugged for this album they are truly sleeping. (Oh and I want my credit for the idea) I learned so much about him. One story he told me was in reference to the shooting at the Touch it (remix) video. He said a lot of people pulled away and didn't want to deal with him, but the next day Mary J. Blige called him and said, I'm here, I'm still a friend. He stated she didn't have to do that and he wrote Decisions based on the fact that she made the decision to still remain his friend when he was going threw so much adversity. So of course Mary got on the record with him, but so did Jamie Foxx and Common and John Legend. It's like the Hip Hop version of We are the World. It really touches your soul.

Another storytelling type cut is the last track on the album called If you don't know now you know featuring Big Tigger. The entire record is set interview style where Tigger is asking Busta questions but in rhyme form and Busta is answering them. The concept is hella hot and I think the perfect way to end this album. He talks about the shooting, the charges, Ms. Jones from Hot 97, the Vibe article, among other things.

Question for the readers of Jonesin' - What are the two artists in the game right now that everyone is tired of but can't deny them because they keep putting out hits?

Yup you guessed it, Akon and T-Pain and Busta has tracks with both of them. Surprisingly, neither record sounds like anything I have ever heard from them before. When he said he had records with them, my whole face went sour. When they started bumping threw the speakers though, I couldn't help but nod my head and fall in love with the records. Blown, the joint with T-Pain was produced by Cool & Dre may cause someone to skip it initially because it starts off with a prayer. But if you wait until the beat drops, best believe your speakers will be blown. The track goes that hard and it has the signature Busta speed rapping that keeps your ears to the music. Cool & Dre also produced the Akon record that also features TI called Don't Believe 'Em.

You know Busta never lets the ladies down. He came with the joint with Janet, then he hit us with the joint with Mariah, and on this album, the joint that is going to have the ladies feeling like they are the sexiest woman alive is If feat Nicole from the Pussy Cat Dolls. I had that major slow wind the entire time this song was playing.

After that he clowned me a little bit. Saying the next couple joints were for the 30 and over crowd. I assured him that even though I have not reached 30, I had an old soul and could relate to what he was about to bring. He teamed up with Marsha from Floetry on Give it Up. It's real funkadelic, old skool, feel good, flying a kite type ish. On the second grown and sexy record he samples Michael Jackson on Never Let You Down. This record is going to bridge the gap. I can see it stretching from my little cousins to my grandparents all nodding their head to it at a family reunion.

My favorite track, hands down would have to be I'm Gonna Get Mine produced by DJ Scratch, who has been riding with Busta since his first solo album. The beat is so infectious but it doesn't overwhelm you. He eases you into the greatness and then when it drops fully, your bombarded with this funky, psychadelic sound that is going to break boundaries. This record is going to be a universal hit because it takes you to another world. I whispered to him while the record was playing that I can see the remix in my head with Cee-Lo. He whispered back that he actually has a song with Gnarls Barkley. I'm saddened because we never got around to listening to that joint.

Either way I want to say thank you to Busta for allowing me in the studio to listen to his amazing new project. For all the people that ever thought his personality is a gimic. HELL NO! He is just as animated and fun loving in person as he is in the videos. Much success on this new project.